


Merging Assets

by harrietspecter



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-01-04 17:56:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12173862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harrietspecter/pseuds/harrietspecter
Summary: Jessica may be Managing Partner of Pearson Specter Litt but she's tired of managing all on her own. The other top law firms in New York City run operations with a Chief Operations Officer and a Managing Partner so why can't her firm run on the same model.Donna with an MBA AU adventure.





	Merging Assets

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still emotional about Donna Paulsen kissing Harvey Specter. Still shrapnels of AUs rolling in my head because that's what I do. One time I was joking about this premise with my Fax Whisperer Twin and gave her the plot and she told me I needed to write it (because I wasn't going to!) and, well, here we are!!
> 
> Much like Wednesday/Cafe, this one is real personal for me. So, I hope you like it.
> 
> All errors are my own as I don't use a beta and I read through it real quick so I could get this to you all for a feels fest. lol.

Pearson Specter Litt was thriving. The named partners were enjoying the booming business but for Jessica Pearson it was slightly annoying handing _everything_. Sure, that was her job as the Managing Partner but sometimes she wanted to go away for a long weekend and not come back to the firm on fire from one or more attorneys creating a headache or scandal. There were some days when she thought about handing over the reigns to her two partners but they weren't ready for that responsibility quite yet. Perhaps in a few years. She had been out with Robert Zane the other night when he had asked her if she ever thought of modeling the firm after the others around the city. And, after today, it was looking more and more appealing.

* * *

Across the city, another who was 100% done with the day, was at home with a glass of wine in her hand as she leaned against her balcony to watch the cityscape turn a pinkish orange as the sun set. She was up on the 35th floor and she watched tourists flock up and down the block trying to find their favorite celebrities that may or may not be hiding away in their condos in the City this time of year. If only they knew this section of the Upper East Side was filled with financiers and lawyers and the celebrities had the buildings slightly more inset in the neighborhood.

Her dinner had consisted of a few Cheetos a few hours ago and she was tempted to cook or order takeout but she’d had a long day and all she really wanted was a bath and to crawl into bed for her early morning. As she drank the last of the liquid in her glass, her phone dinged with a text.   
  
She frowned as she pulled it out of her blazer’s inner pocket and looked at the sender. Luckily it hadn’t been an invitation to go out. She’d be poor company right now. So she let out a breath as it was more informational than anything else. Her brow rose as a familiar name brightened her screen as she clicked through the texted link.

“I’m going to need some more wine,” she sighed to herself as she locked her phone and went back inside.

Perhaps she’d take that bath and forget today after all.

\--

She had been in bed for all of twenty minutes when she turned to look at the ceiling and sighed. She moved the covers off her form and blindly made her way back out to the living room to snag her laptop before walking back to bed.

She picked up her phone and opened up the text again, looking at it closely like it had some sort of hidden motive. There wasn’t one. Rachel had just texted her an emoji with a smiley face and an exclamation mark. She didn’t know the history. She just wanted to see her friend happy in her career.

She and Rachel Zane had been friends for the last five years after she had seen the younger woman at her favorite sushi place whenever she had been there. They had bonded over their craziest sushi adventures and somehow made it a regular thing. And then Rachel asked to hang out outside the sushi bar and Donna agreed, knowing she needed friends in her life. She could handle one friend and she had it in Rachel.

When Donna had learned where the younger woman worked, she choked a little on her gyoza and cleared her throat. She explained it had just gone down the wrong pipe because she was so excited about the gyoza. She knew the younger woman wanted to ask questions but had enough tact not to. So, they enjoyed their sushi lunch and every other Thursday they met here or the café where they had some delicious turkey sandwiches with the thinnest turkey she’d ever seen with a corn-pasta salad that was to die for.

She looked up the job ad on the website again and still stared a little too long at the firm’s name.

* * *

When the Human Resources Generalist came in with a stack of 30 qualified applicants out of 240 initial applicants, there was four female candidates and Jessica was intrigued to say the least. She had spent two days researching, enlisting her assistant to do a social media search just in case the candidates were a little less professional. Finding two whack jobs, she set them aside in the 'rejected' pile and ended up with 25 after an initial rundown. The next day was spend looking at education and soon enough she had six piles on her table of the 25 applicants. The education was then broken down in regards to work history and by the end of the week she was down to ten.

When she brought the ten finalists to Louis and Harvey to look over, she watched as Harvey concentrated really hard on one of the applications. She made a mental note to check on them when she was alone.  
  
“Harvey?” Jessica asked as she tilted her head in an effort to look him in the eye.  
  
“Uh, nothing,” Harvey shook his head and piled up the resumes. He shuffled them around so the one he had just been reviewing wasn’t on top but she didn’t get to where was today by looking the other way. “Looks good.”

“These were the very best?” Louis asks as he shook the folders in his hands.

Jessica and Harvey looked at one another and then Jessica changed the topic.  
  
“I figured two a day, one morning, one after lunch until Friday?” She asked. But it was more of a demand than an ask and they both nodded. “I'll let Gretchen and Norma know so they can place them on your schedules as the interviewees accept the time slots.”

Jessica went back to her office and looked through the files again. She had narrowed it down to three and when she was on the third candidate, the Google search turned up a few interesting articles. It was a few years old but it was the _30 Under 30_ article from Forbes and there was a familiar looking older man in one of the smaller inset pictures as she described what she did in her down time to deal with the stress of million and billion dollar deals and the volatile stock markets.

Her brow raised and she leaned back against her chair, looking out her office, and smirked.

She definitely had a favorite of the bunch.

\--

The last interview on Thursday walked into Pearson Specter Litt fifteen minutes early. She was wearing a forest green pant suit and her hair was half up in a clip that pulled her hair away from her face. The rest of her hair was curled and tamed despite the up and down humidity that was settling as autumn moved into the City. Her bag was slung over her shoulder and she was admiring the view when Jessica moved to greet her.  
  
“Donna Paulsen?” Jessica asked.  
  
Donna nodded and stuck out her hand.  
  
“Jessica Pearson,” Donna greeted. “Thank you for the opportunity.”  
  
“Of course,” Jessica nodded. “We’ll head to the conference room just down the hall.”

As they approached the conference room, Donna called out Jessica’s name. Donna gave a little smirk and Jessica raised a brow.  
  
“Full disclosure,” Donna said before they stepped into the conference room. “Harvey and I dated. It was a long time ago but just so you know.”  
  
Jessica was good at poker. Damn good. But Donna saw right through her straight face and the younger woman titled her head towards the room.

“It shouldn’t be a problem,” Donna noted. “We made our peace with it when we last saw one another.”

“How long ago?” Jessica asks.

“When we were kids,” Donna sighs.

Jessica wants to point out she’s still a kid but she doesn’t. Instead, she opens the conference room door and lets the red head step inside.

The two men are already in the conference room with Harvey leaning against the window and Louis sitting in a chair. She acknowledges Harvey with a brief look and he straightens up as she moves to greet Louis.  
  
“You must be Louis Litt,” Donna greeted as she moved around the table.  
  
Louis opened his mouth and then close it, nodding, and then shaking her hand.  
  
She turned to the other occupant and titled her head ever so slightly.  
  
“Harvey,” Donna nodded.  
  
“Donna,” Harvey answered back.  
  
He stuck out his hand and she took it. He looked her in the eye as they shook for longer than strictly necessary.

It might have gone over Louis’s head as he was shuffling papers but it didn’t escape Jessica Pearson’s eye. Make peace my ass, the older woman thinks to herself as she sits. They’re still completely into one another.

She’s already found her selection and the woman hasn’t even started the full interview.

They all sat down and Jessica explained who they were and what they were here to do.

“Why don’t you start, Harvey,” Jessica says with a small smile.

Harvey tilts his head to look at Jessica over Louis’s head and then he looks over at Donna.

“So, Donna,” he says with a slight mock to his tone as if he’s wondering why the hell he’s still pretending as if he doesn’t know her—for Louis’s benefit maybe. “Tell us about yourself.”

Her eyes lock onto his and her brown eyes are filled with amusement. She’s clearly enjoying the fact he’s actually following a directive.

“I am the Chief Operating Officer and CEO of Asset Management at Lazard Frères,” Donna said as she looked at all three of them. “Lazard hired me right out of Wharton and I’ve been there for the last seven years.” She didn’t mention that she was 99% sure that they hired her for that checkmark that they had a female on staff for diversity reasons. She was sure one of them in the room would understand her plight but it wasn’t a thing that she needed to mention in an interview.

“Pearson Specter Litt has limited international clients but in case you ever feel like expanding, I speak fluent French, Finnish, German, and Japanese,” she notes with her head held high. “I finished the top of my class at NYU and was number one at both Wharton and Harvard.”

She shares a look with Harvey when she mentions Harvard and Louis flips to her resume. Indeed, his whole _we only hire from Harvard_ stipulation wouldn’t have mattered since she did go back to school and obtained her JD from Harvard.

“Why a JD when you’re so successful without it?” Jessica asked offhand.

Donna returned her gaze to the other woman in the room.

“When you’re in the thick of it, you see the bubble before everyone else does. I noticed about 2004, so I enrolled at Harvard and when the economy collapsed in 2007, I was able to use both degrees. I don’t have too many US clients but our economy’s collapse was felt worldwide.”

“What’s your specialty?” Louis wonders.

“Hedge funds, of course. But after obtaining my JD, I focused on international mergers and acquisitions. We didn’t have to hire a lawyer and an investment advisor since I was a two-for-one package deal. I still have clients for regular share trading but there’s little excitement in that.”

The rest of the interview is standard questions about her management style, what she prefers in a work environment, and where she sees herself in another five years. All in all, it was a smooth interview.

Donna shook hands again with Harvey, Louis, and Jessica as she stood up and moved to the door again. Jessica told her that she would walk her out and Donna looked up and noticed Harvey was still staring even as she moved to the elevator.

“I think I’m in love,” Louis whispers to Harvey as Jessica walked Donna back to the elevator bank.

“Okay, Fabio,” Harvey sighs as he leans back in his chair.

Luckily they only have two more of these things. But Harvey thinks he already knows who they’ve selected. And, she just walked out the door.

Jessica comes back into the room so they can rate the two candidates for the day. Louis gives her a 12/10 and verbally mentions this fact. Harvey rolls his eyes and passes his interview scoring sheet to Jessica where its blank except for the notes section which lets her know that he has a conflict of interest.

Jessica smirks at the paper. Yeah, Harvey’s totally over her.

\--

On Friday evening, a partners meeting was called to order. They gave the partners advanced notice that the offer letter was going out and that, if accepted, the candidate would start in a month. If accepted, they would allow a biography reading before the candidate made it here for the first day at work.  
  
Late Friday saw him in the building of Lazard Frères with an offer letter in his suit jacket pocket as he waited for the security guard to finish getting approval for Harvey to get an after-hours access to the company.

Donna came down a few minutes later, thanked the security guard, and smirked at Harvey.

“Let’s, uh, go back to my office?” She asked as they moved to the elevator bank.

She slid her ID card and pressed the button for the 64th floor.

It was a quiet ride up since she was reviewing something on her phone and maybe he should have called but Gretchen said she informed her that it was fine to interrupt her work as long as it was after seven pm.

Much like Pearson Specter Litt, Lazard favored glass offices but blue seemed to be the secondary color. Her office had an amazing view, now darkened as it was nine pm. But this building was a tourist destination for the top floor. Lazard now rented out most of the floors past the 64th which were off limits to tourists. Her view, nonetheless, was so much better than his.  
  
She could probably fit two of his offices in her own. There were at least ten monitors surrounding her, not including her desktop, and she stood at her desk, looking to the side where two foreign markets were running on the screen.  
  
“So, Harvey,” she nodded. “What can I do for you?  
  
Harvey was still amazed by all the monitors and came around at her voice, digging into his suit jacket and pulling out the envelope.

She took it with a skeptical look but opened it anyway. Her lips upturned in a small smile but he hadn’t missed it. She looked up and raised a brow.  
  
“And they sent you to negotiate?” Donna asked as the salary line was mysteriously blank.  
  
“More like to ask if you want the equity-type partnership or the associate where you get a salary,” Harvey shrugged.  
  
She looked at him and was about to offer up a question when her cellphone chimed.  
  
“Hold on,” she notes as she moves to pick up the line.  
  
He moves to vacate the office but she begins to speak in a foreign language and honestly it's moot point and she knows it so she shakes her head as the thumbs towards the door.

He watches as she pulls up a number of stocks on the monitors and go back and forth to whatever is on the monitor in front of her and back to the stock. He can tell she’s questioning the decision, even if he can’t understand a word she’s saying. She listens for a few minutes and her hand moves to her hip as she bites her lip. He catches a few English words but that’s it as she takes a few more minutes to fiddle on her computer and then hang up.

A few seconds later, her fountain pen is out and she signs her name with a flourish. She carefully folds the letter again and sticks it in the envelope to hand it back.

“I’ll take the partnership,” she says. “Just let me know how much it is and I’ll have a check my first day.”

“Half a mil,” he says offhand.

She picks up her phone and makes a calendar reminder and notices he’s still here. She looks up.

“Why do you really want to leave?” He asks as he takes the signed offer letter and sticks it in his jacket pocket again.

She looks at him and gives him a sad smile.

“I’ll see you in a month,” she says as she avoids the question.

“Welcome to Pearson Specter Litt,” he says as he extends his hand.

Her sad smile turns genuine for a second and she laughs.

“Your father would have loved this,” she says as she shakes his offered hand.

“No shit,” he sighs.

He still lingers and she sighs internally.

“Give me a few minutes and I can walk out with you,” she notes as she looks around her office.

Instead of having her hail a cab, he offers up a ride to her place.

Ray shares a look with him and Donna doesn’t miss it. After all, she’s Donna.

* * *

Her office is next to Jessica Pearson’s own, she finds her first day. Her name is frosted in the glass and below her name is Chief Operating Officer and Senior Partner as her titles. There’s a little pep in her step as she moves inside. As she moves to her desk, she finds an arrangement of white and yellow daffodils and wild flowers already on her desk. She sticks them on her table, away from her desk, mostly because she has things to unpack and sort on her desk and knowing herself, she’d spill the water all over the desk and ruin the arrangement while she was at it.

Within two hours, she has her space arranged just so and Jessica tours her around the building and the various floors Pearson Specter Litt encompass in the building itself. Jessica tells her that she should get familiar with the operations before they start doing anything really important.

Her check is handed over and Jessica bows her chin to let Donna have the day to herself.

“I’ll be in my office most of the day if you need me,” Jessica points to the office next door.

Donna nods and in the hour that consisted of a tour, she already has files in her inbox.

When she makes it back to her office, she moves the flowers back to her desk. She smiles at them and sits down at her desk.

A few hours later, he knocks on her office door and she looks up as she’s reviewing a file at desk and he sticks his hands in his pockets and he bounces on his heels as he moves into the office.

“This my associate, Mike Ross,” Harvey says as he nods to Mike. “And, I hear you already know Rachel.”

“Mmh,” she nods. “Sushi Thursdays.”

“It’s a wonder how you don’t get mercury poising,” Harvey notes.

“We don’t go _every_ Thursday,” she points out.

“Try not to answer any of the puppy’s questions. I want him to work it out all on his own,” Harvey noted as she looked between mentor and mentee. Although, she’d probably never use those two words aloud to describe their work dynamic.

Instead, she just squints a little at his smirk.

“Are you just making introductions or do you actually need something?” Donna says, a slight hint of sass in her tone.

“I was going to get a bagel,” Harvey says as his hands move from his pockets and he points his thumb to the elevators.

Donna shut the file and stood up slowly from her chair.

“You need better victory food,” she sighs.

Harvey tilts his head and Donna walks past all of them to her door.

“Coming?” She asks.

Harvey follows her like a puppy of her own and she lets him know that Gordon let her know a bagel and coffee is what he liked when he was winning.

Mike tilts his head and watches his boss converse with the new Chief Operating Officer of Pearson Specter Litt at the elevators.

“You think…” Mike trails off.

“Oh, I do think,” Rachel nods with a laugh.

“Is her profile up on the intranet yet?” Mike asked.

“If not, I bet Benjamin would let us look before he uploads it,” Rachel notes.

They’re definitely going to investigate how these two know each other.

* * *

A month later, they had finally made an agreement with Lazard after none of Donna’s clients signed with another asset manager or advisor. So, she’d still keep her licenses up to date but lose her titles except for a general asset manager moinker. She’d keep her keycard and logins so she could assist her clients when needed. But for the most part, she’d work for Pearson Specter Litt. After the agreement was signed, Pearson Specter Litt had made the announcement in the _Journal_ and Jessica waited for her rivals to come.

Robert Zane has never been a conventional rival for Jessica Pearson or her firm. He shoots from the hip and likes to checkup on his baby girl, his favourite hot shot, and his loveliest rival. He has the _Journal_ in his hands as he skates past the receptionists and Jessica’s assistant to take a seat in Jessica’s office. He only has to wait a few minutes before she clears her throat at her doorframe to get his attention.  
  
“I heard you poached Donna Paulsen,” he greets Jessica as she enters her office. He holds up the paper as proof of her deed.  
  
“That we did,” Jessica sits and smirks.  
  
“We've been trying to poach her since 2009 after that huge merger she fixed. At the time, she also laughed off Bratton Gould and Smith and Devane,” Robert informs her. “So, I want to know what we don't have that you do.”  
  
Jessica tilts her chin to the floor outside her office. She sees the flash of red and knows the man isn’t far behind as she knows they’re working one of his mergers together as she gave him 24 hours without Louis on the case.  
  
“Ah, shit,” Robert sighs and turns back to Jessica.  
  
Jessica laughs.  
  
“It’s not what you think. They were together for four years when they were kids,” she pointed out. “Her words.”  
  
“No shit?” Robert eyes her skeptically.  
  
“NYU,” she nods.  
  
“Shit,” was all he could say.

Jessica watches as the elevator opens and Harvey pretends to be a gentleman, letting Donna go first.

“Can Zane work a few cases with Pearson so I can at least say have worked with the legend?” Robert asks.

“As long as Pearson gets all the credit and most of the billable,” Jessica notes with a laugh.

“I’ll find something,” Robert nods as he stands.

“Good to see you, Jessica,” Robert says with a wink.

“Goodbye, Robert,” Jessica says as she shakes her head.

* * *

Jessica thinks the first couple cases Donna looks over basically covers her salary she’ll be making this year in the simple fact that she reviews and checks for financial issues. Its why when the annual black tie charity event happens, she doesn’t bat an eye that their newest executive recruit shows up on Harvey’s arm.

When Louis begins his rant on champagne and sparkling wine with the waiter, Donna shares a look with Harvey and transfers herself to Louis’s arm, discussing how she feels the same about Prosecco.

She catches Harvey and Jessica both whispering thanks as Jessica goes to get one of their clients.

\--

It’s a few days later and Harvey looks a little worn out when he and Jessica step into Donna’s office as she reviews Mike’s work on a merger.

“You have a minute?” Harvey asks.

“Sure,” Donna says as she lays the file down on her desk and turns her attention to the two partners standing in her office.

“You ever hear of Aberdeen Solutions? Our accounting firm lists them as a consultant firm,” Harvey asks as his brow furrows.

Donna bites her cheek and runs over the list of consultant firms she knows.

“Never heard of them,” Donna shakes her head. “I mean, I’m not Google, so, I can’t say for sure they’re not a company but I’ve never worked or heard of them in my seven years at Lazard.”

“You called?” Jessica asks as she turns back to Harvey.

“Six times, six messages left,” Harvey points out. "Zero calls back."

Donna tilts her head curiously.

“Harvey, I can’t…” Jessica trails off. “If we’re caught investigating our own client.”

“I wouldn’t get caught. Just give me authorization,” Harvey tries.

“I’m telling you not to do any investigating _here_ ,” she stresses.

Donna shuts her file and stands up from her desk.

“Wow,” Donna begins as she packs her briefcase. “I just received a call from a client at Lazard. Really important business. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Donna has a wordless conversation with Harvey and exits her office.

“I have to… go?” Harvey looks at Jessica as his excuse.

Jessica shakes her head at Harvey as he catches up to Donna at the elevator.

\--

Its day two of the “not investigation” investigation and Jessica is shown to Donna’s office at Lazard. Harvey and Jessica stand in the hallway, leaning against the tabletop as Harvey eats his way through a carton of Lo Mein.

“Did you find what you’re not looking for?” Jessica asks as she snags an egg roll.

“Not yet,” Harvey says as he looks to the office where it looks like a scene straight out of _A Beautiful Mind_ in Donna’s otherwise pristine office.

An hour later, Harvey finally gets up and is about to remind Donna to eat when he freezes.

“What?” Jessica asks as she perks up.

Donna’s in her office, pulling at the chain of her delicate necklace.

“She’s got it,” Harvey says quietly. Almost as if he was David Attenborough and Donna was a rare species they were filming.

“What?” Jessica asks as she looks into the office and finds Donna still staring.

“She has a tell,” Harvey shrugged. “Come on.”

Harvey and Jessica both stepped into the room and Donna turned.

“I got her,” Donna said with her brown eyes alight with success and fire.

Jessica watches as Harvey steps next to Donna as she begins her explanation.

\--

At the end of the week, Tori is called for a meeting and Harvey carries an armload of files as he trails behind Jessica and Donna as they make their way to the conference room.

“Tori, I’m sure you’re aware we hired Donna Paulsen a few months ago,” Jessica says as Donna stands beside Harvey and dips her chin in a greeting.

“Where did we hire you from again?” Jessica asks rhetorically.

“Lazard Frères,” Donna chimes in helpfully with a smirk.

“And that pesky title of yours was so long,” Jessica looks back at her.

“Chief Operating Officer and CEO of Asset Management,” Donna says.

“So, we let her take a look at your company,” Harvey says. “And, well, she suggested we sue you for everything your worth.”

Tori looks at the redhead in the room and then to Jessica, opening her mouth to speak.

“Donna cuts billion dollar deals for breakfast,” Harvey adds as he drops the folders onto the table next to Tori. “I’d hate to see what she’d do to someone who stole from her.”

“I didn’t steal from anyone,” Tori points out. “And, we have attorney client privilege.”

“Not with the shelf companies that have your name all over them,” Donna points out. “You probably didn’t read it, but my Forbes profile last year mentioned mergers and acquisitions are my thing. I mean if little ol’ me can spot it, the SEC can surely spot it within a day, too.”

\--

Later that night, the four executive-level partners go out and cheer to Donna’s success.

Donna’s never felt more appreciated for a job well done.

* * *

She completes her first review at Pearson Specter Litt and Harvey asks her to dinner. They talk shop through the appetizers, to give the appearance its business but, as usual, they somehow always turn the corner to make it more about _them_.  
  
"Why did you really leave?" Harvey asks the waiter clears their appetizer plates.  
  
She knew this was coming. She was surprised he had actually waited all this time before asking her again. 

Tonight they’re dining at Carbone and it reminds her of the old days when they were at NYU. He was a little awkward back then and still is today as he sits across from her and doesn’t know what to do with his hands. So, he plays with the stem of his wine glass as she watches him.  
  
“Honestly I was going to turn in my two weeks notice back then,” she says as she sips the dark wine. Her tongue runs over her teeth to make sure it doesn't stain and she smiles a little at him.  
  
“I had a shit day of testifying and Rachel had texted me that the firm was hiring. I was laying in bed later that night and my brain was contemplating too many things so I decided to say fuck it and complete my resume.”

He perked up a little at her admission and made a note to check LexisNexis or ask her.  
  
“Why quit?” He wondered.  
  
She fingered the stem of her glass and spun the base a little.  
  
“As cliché as it sounds, I was putting in sixty or seventy hours a week. I have no life outside work and I want something more.”

She looks up and watches as his eyes darken and pupils dilate as he stares.

“All our friends from school are married and have kids and here I am, a few months away from being thirty years old, with a cactus and a meal delivery service on the weekends because I forget to go grocery shopping. I put my career before my personal life for so long...”  
  
She pauses and takes a drink.  
  
“Sorry, I don't think you really wanted to know all of that,” she gives a brief laugh and looks down at the table cloth.

Their entrees arrive a few minutes later and they dig in. When the waitress comes back to refill their wine and ask how everything is, he takes up the conversation.

“We were kids,” he says pointedly.

“Jessica says we’re still kids,” she notes.

“I think when you reach aunt and uncle status, you stop being kids,” he notes knowing her brother has, like, three kids by now and his brother has two of his own.

“According to the third grader, I’m practically fifty,” Donna says with a slight laugh.

Harvey shakes his head and laughs before taking a sip of his wine.

“Just think, it will be the last year you can be on _30 Under 30_ ,” Harvey tips his wine towards her.

“If we weren’t in such a nice place, I would throw my fork at you,” she says with a smirk.

“Instead you’ll forever be on the _World’s Most Powerful Women_ and _Forbes 400_ ,” Harvey notes.

She shakes her head.

“You’re ridiculous,” she tells him.

“That much you already knew,” he laughs.

She bites her lip and looks down to her food again. She misses the look he gives her and the sad smile that creeps across his own face for the briefest of moments.

Because Carbone doesn’t do desserts, he takes her to La Maison near his place on the Upper East Side for hot chocolate and a slice of chocolate cake.

Its this night he finds out she’s five blocks from him in one of the high-rises that caters more to the financiers over the corporate lawyers. She reminds him of the one time he had Ray drop her off after he gave her the offer letter. He admits he wasn't really paying attention to the scenery.

She kisses his cheek outside her building and thanks him for the company and the evening.

He watches as she says goodnight to the security staff just inside the glass doors and heads to the elevators to bring her home.

* * *

Its ten pm the night before her birthday and he walks into her office with a takeout bag and a bottle in his hand.

“Break time,” he says as he looks over and places the bag in the middle of her table.

He wordlessly sets everything on her table and she moves from her desk to the table.

“Sushi?” She asks with a laugh.

“From your favourite place on 49th and 6th,” he nods.

“And here I thought you were worried about my mercury levels,” she pointed out, remembering their conversation from her first official day of work.

“I asked Rachel if you had gone this week before I ordered,” he points out.

She laughs low and takes a seat across from him.

The lights in her office are dimmed and it’s a soft glow that illuminates this side of the office.

“So, how does year twenty-nine stack up?” he says as he grabs a roll from the middle of the plate.

“The last half of twenty-nine were much better than the first,” she laughs as she watches him attempt to shove the spider roll piece in his mouth.

“Yeah?” he asks through a mouthful of food.

“Yeah,” she nods and selects her own caterpillar roll.

He tells her that Jessica is happy to have another female in the ranks and Donna gets this sad smile and she pokes at another roll but doesn’t take a piece. He curses internally and watches as she eventually goes in for the roll and he assumes it’s a tactic in order to delay what she’s about to say. It's only when she finishes her second piece does she let him in on what's rolling around in her mind.

"For women, the rules are different. I was the only female at Lazard with "chief" in front of my name. We were being investigated for securities fraud by the Attorney General’s office and since I am the Chief Operating Officer and CEO of Asset Management, I was subpoenaed. On the stand, the Deputy Attorney General accused me of sleeping my way to the top since I was only 29 years old and a “chief.” He brought in a staff member with an axe to grind as a character witness and she painted me as unfeeling and manipulative because I was no longer attending work functions as soon as I got my promotion. My education and experience was moot point," she said as she ate a piece of pickled ginger before taking on one of his rolls he had in front of him and snagging a piece.

He snags another roll, knowing she has more.

“When I was new at Lazard, my superior felt me up in the elevator. I told him to _fuck off_ and he laughed. I went to Boston that weekend and watched one of Gordon’s shows and he asked if I wanted your number so you could cut off the guy’s dick. Instead we played baseball and he wore the Wharton sweatshirt I gave him back when he wanted the college sweatshirts from “all his kids” while he stuck me with one of your Harvard ones and he paraded me around town. He also bought me an ice cream cone from Jim’s Hamburgers—you know the one that likes to dip the cone in caramel then chocolate and then the hardened shell one?”

Harvey laughed and then sobered up.

“Forty percent of Lazard’s deals in the City's branch wouldn’t have happened without me. Do you think I got any thanks in my seven years there?” She asks rhetorically. “Here, I get thanked almost every day from men and women alike. It’s a strange feeling, knowing you’re valued.”

They continue sharing the rolls and pickled ginger.

“I’m not doing this because I value you,” Harvey says and instantly his eyes widen as he tracks back what he just said aloud. “Shit, I mean. Fuck. I _do_ value you.”

Harvey hangs his head. _Idiot_ , he says to himself.

“Its okay, Harvey,” she says as she taps her chopstick. She’d never do that at the restaurant but here she needs to get his attention and he’s refusing to look at her. “This is less a work thing and more a…”

He finally looks up and looks at her with a funny look she recognizes from years ago.

“Yeah,” he agreed.

She nods.

“Did you get anything to drink?” she asks as she changes the topic. Suddenly she’s parched and she only has a few sips of water remaining in her bottle that sits at her desk.

He remembers the bottle he was holding earlier that got cast off to the side in favor of him arranging the plates of sushi.

“Prosecco?” She shakes her head as he opens the bottle and pours them two flutes that he had stuck in the bag.

She remembers the one time in the apartment for her twenty first birthday. They always kept a low profile for birthdays and though 21 in America is a big deal, she didn’t really care for barhopping. They couldn’t really afford her dream to go on a tour of France and Italy and drink all the Proseccos but he’d made an effort and that had gotten to her.

He had skipped class and turned the apartment into a little French restaurant and made a raspberry tart. He had also gone down to the farmers’ market and bought French and Italian dishes that would probably be more appetizers than entrees but they were college students living on a budget and she had an imagination. While at the market, he had begged the little lady whose stand they frequented weekly about where exactly he could find an authentic bottle of Demi-Sec Prosecco.

“It goes great with sushi,” he points out, bringing her back to the present.

He’s right. She’s not a super fan of sake but will drink it when the opportunity presents itself when they eat other Japanese food. She’s always been a fan of Prosecco though and he damn well knows it.

They trade off rolls and when she feels like she’s about to burst out of the seams of her dress, she moves them from the table to the couch in her office. He grabs the bottle and he catches her up on his brother and his family. He boasts about the success his brother’s restaurant has in Boston and she closes her eyes, listening to his voice as it washes over her.

Its almost midnight and he moves from the couch back to the table with the bag to pull out one last item. She opens her eyes and sets her flute down on the table in front of her as she tracks him as he comes to sit back down.

“My baking skills have greatly improved since the last time I tried this,” he tells her as he holds it out to her but when she tries to reach for it, he brings it closer to himself.

In front of her, in one of his hands, sits a raspberry fruit tart for one. He sticks a single candle in the middle of the tin and digs a lighter he brought from the market last week out of his pants pocket to spark a flame onto the wick.

“Happy birthday, Donna,” he says quietly and holds it out for her to blow out the candle.

She smiles softly and makes a wish for more of _this_ and he gets that boyish grin she remembered seeing a lot back in the day.

He gives up the tart to refill the flutes with the remaining Prosecco and she hands him the fork to try his own creation as she drinks.

It's much better this time around without a soggy bottom. Granted, his one from nine years ago wasn’t that soggy at the time but practice makes perfect and he’s been quite the secret amateur baker for the last decade.

Its nearing one in the morning when she finally yawns and he takes that as his cue to start cleaning up her office. He’s quite certain they are the only two left on the floor and he takes his time as he cleans up and holds the bag in his hands as he waits for her to gather her things.

He helps her into her coat and he’s standing a little too close and she’s been wanting to know all night but the opportunity never really presented itself until now. So when she spins to thank him, she leans in.

He tastes a bit like ginger, raspberry, and crispy bubbles from the Prosecco he just finished. Her fingers glide softly across his chin and she feels as he leans into this kiss, his little noise of surprise is drowned as he closes his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Harvey,” she whispers as she runs her hand along his shoulder and down to grip his lapel when they separate. “I just had to know.”

She’s slowly moving away but he catches her before she gets too far and he tilts her chin up and looks her in the eyes.

“The feelings never went away,” he says quietly. “But you deserve more.”

“I've always just needed you, Harvey,” she shrugs her shoulders.

His thumb brushes her lip and he reads her expression before leaning in and this time its him kissing her. And she’s returning the kiss hesitantly but with equal fervor.

\--

In the morning she makes him coffee and brings it back to her bed. He kisses her lips and she leans in but not too far since she still has her coffee in hand. Plus, she’s currently wearing his only shirt and he still has to go back to his apartment to get dressed for the day.

When Donna gets back into her bed and moves under the sheets and slides next to him, sipping her coffee as he sips his own, his free arm moves over her shoulder and she leans in close. He kisses her temple and he watches the shadows grow taller as the sun peaks in the sky and peeks through the gauzy curtains.

He texts Jessica to let her know that he and Donna have a morning meeting. And then he follows up the text with a note that maybe there’s an afternoon one, too. And as he’s about to set the phone down, he reminds her it's actually Donna’s birthday today so they’re just going to skip work today and use one of their floating holidays.

Jessica smirks and shakes her head. She calls up the HR Generalist and has the woman draw up two disclosure forms and two waivers of conflict of interest forms. And, she maybe goes to see Louis and Gretchen, reluctantly handing $5,000 to Harvey’s executive assistant as the older woman sasses the two named partners.

* * *

For some reason, for the last five years anyway, today always brings dread to the pit of his stomach. It hadn’t helped that Donna had been out at Kone in Helsenki for Lazard this past week, working on another merger deal for her client but it had grown a bit complicated since they would be over the maximum share holding allowance. So, he hadn’t really seen her except for the one time he had accidentally FaceTimed her and she had woken up with 5am bedhead as he called when he was slipping out of the office at 11pm.

He knows exactly why today is _a day_ for him but he just can’t make it go away and it only compounds when he doesn’t see Donna in her office and no one can remember her seeing her this morning and its now 11am and her flight had gotten in early this morning at 2am. As he unlocks his phone to call her, he remembers the last time he had this much dread as he dialed her number five years ago.

\--

_She frowned at the number calling her and was tempted not to pick up but she remembered all the projects this week that she had to do before the end of the quarter and knew if it went to voicemail, she might not get to it until next Friday--her next real down day._

_“This is Donna,” She greeted in that fake cheery voice that made it sound like she was happy to be receiving a call from an unknown number._

_“Donna,” the voice said on the other line._

_She frowned a little, tilting her head in slight curiosity as she hadn’t head his voice in well over five years._

_“Harvey?” She questioned even though she knew it was him._

_“Uh, umm, yeah,” he said quietly._

_She didn’t ask where he had gotten her number. That would sound stupid and she was far from stupid. She'd just assume he got it from his father. But his voice was strange… cracking, in the emotional sense, and it worried her slightly. Before she could ask, he answered._

_“I didn’t know where you worked or lived,” he began. “Otherwise, I would be doing this in person and not over the phone.”_

_She heard him take a breath over the line._

_“My dad,” he trailed off for a moment. “The neighbor, umm, he was coming over so they could go to the ballgame. He… he didn’t answer so he walked in. He wasn’t… he wasn’t breathing and they took him to the hospital.”_

_She sat down at her desk chair with a heavy heart. Her fingers curled into a fist and she pressed her lips together as she continued to listen._

_“He died,” Harvey said with one breath and then moved the phone away, ending the call before his tears sprang up and made his way down his cheeks._

_Donna looked at her cell phone for a while after that. It was only when her assistant knocked on the door did she turn away from the phone._

_“Uh, Donna?” Anne asked with a slightly frightened look._

_Donna wiped at her eyes even though the tears hadn’t done anything but pool and she excused herself._

_“I need a few days,” Donna said quickly as she snapped back into her work and started piling things up. “I just… need a few days.”_

_Her assistant frowned and shut the older woman’s glass door to her office._

_“Donna?” She asked quietly._

_Donna didn’t know how to explain to her who or what role defined Gordon Specter in her life. He was more than a friend, more than a close friend. She's the one she always ran to when the shit got rough here and although she tends to stand her ground, she liked it when he asked if he wanted to call up Harvey and have him sue their asses or, her favourite, cut off their dicks. He was practically her father and she’d bet her life savings he was still waiting to be her father-in-law even though she and Harvey were no longer together._

_“I just got news that a family member passed,” she said truthfully. Despite not being family by blood, they were family nonetheless._

_“Oh,” Anne said quietly._

_“I need to get to Boston,” Donna said as she continued to pack up her bag._

_“I can hold things down here,” Anne nodded. “Just let me know…”_

_Donna breathed a sigh of relief and pat her assistant on the shoulder as she made her way out of the building, on the phone with her travel agent as her driver meandered through Midtown traffic to head to her condo and then onto Queens._

_\--_

_She found him in his father’s room, leaning against the end of the bed, staring at the paramedic’s paraphernalia from when they had most likely tried to get Gordon’s breathing going again._

_“Harvey,” she said quietly, alerting him to her presence._

_He looked up and took a shuddering breath._

_“I called Marcus,” Harvey said as he lifted off the end of his father’s bed and faced her. “He should be here in a few hours. He was getting Katie and, uh, …”_

_Donna shook her head, knowing he’d probably not know his niece’s name at the moment._

_“I didn’t want him to see this,” he said as he looked around the room. “But I got a little distracted.”_

_“Need some help?” She asked quietly as she dropped her duffle bag to the floor at the entrance to the room._

_They worked quietly together as Harvey got the small trashcan from his father’s washroom and Donna moved around, carefully collecting all the waste. Donna took the basket from his hands and made it to the kitchen, tossing the contents into the larger kitchen trashcan._

_Marcus and Katie arrive an hour and a half later with comfort food and the four adults and one toddler sat around the kitchen table, poking at food until they had at least eaten half their meals._

_\--_

_Its late. Marcus and Katie had gone to his old room hours ago with their sleeping toddler and Donna had given Marcus one last hug before they went up the stairs and down the hallway._

_“I saw your Forbes profile,” Harvey notes as he sits on the couch and sips at his open can of beer._

_“I hate that an editor used to work for us,” she sighs as she rubs her temples._

_“You’re one of first women to really break into the hedge fund industry,” he reminds her. “The first CEO of AM at Lazard, and on track to be the first female COO.”_

_“Allegedly,” she points out. “I mean I just closed two nine figure deals and all I got was an email with the signed contract.”_

_He sighs and takes a longer than necessary gulp._

_“You know he has the article framed in his office/studio. Right next to my first Forbes profile,” he points out._

_“No, he doesn’t,” she laughs as she looks over at him._

_“C’mere,” he says as he offers a hand to help her out of the position she’s in on the couch. She takes his hand and then drops it as they stare at one another._

_“Right,” he shakes himself out of his staring contest with her._

_He leads her to the shut door on the first floor near the front door and turns her to the wall the door hangs on. Staring her in the face is a display of them._

_“Jesus,” she shakes her head and moves across him to steal his can of beer. She takes a drink as she moves to the wall and stares at herself._

_“Look at that hair,” she sighs._

_He takes the can back from her._

_“At least you didn’t have that,” he points at himself where its this strange length with a hint of his platinum locks that were darkening to a dirty blond over time._

_"That’s true,” she nods. “You do look hideous.”_

_He looks offended for a moment but laughs right along with her._

_“He’d be proud,” he says as she stares at the spot between the articles._

_“Isn’t that my line?” She says as her voice finally begins to crack._

_“C’mere,” he whispers for the second time and she’s enveloped in his arms. She grabs a fist full of his shirt and sighs against him as a tear or two quietly pool and spill. His eyes fill with tears but he closes his eyes and his chin rests atop her head as he holds her close._

_“I can take the couch,” she said quietly as they move back to the living room and leave their grief in the room that holds the heart of Gordon Specter’s life._

_“Donna, you came all the way here,” Harvey shook his head. “You get a bed for doing that kind of deed.”_

_She wants it to feel awkward but it really doesn’t. Sure, the situation of sharing a bed now is awkward but its also familiar because they’ve done this before but they were together and now they’re not but it doesn’t feel like they’re not and she wants this to be a bad idea. But its not. Because he finally cries when the grandfather clock downstairs chimes two and this time its her holding him as she promises that’s she’s here._

_\--_

_In the morning, her leg was up and over his own as they pressed close. She kissed his forehead as she carefully extracted herself from her own grip she laid on him sometime between her going to sleep and now, and waited with baited breath as he adjusted to sleeping alone again._

_She slipped on her socks from last night but knew if she opened her bag, she’d wake him, so she slipped on his white oxford button down for a cover up to her tank top and sweatpants she had been in the night before. She opened the door and ran her fingers through her hair as she made her way downstairs._

_Katie was up with the three-year-old in the living room, quietly watching some cartoons, and Donna made a beeline for the coffee as she smiled and said morning._

_Donna leaned back against the couch cushion and sighed as she sipped her coffee. Since Katie and her daughter were on the loveseat, Donna took advantage of being the only one on the couch and leaned against the arm cushion, bringing her feet up to rest on the middle cushion. She was watching but not actively paying attention to the screen and soon zoned out. It was only when he entered the room and sat down on her feet with a small smile did she return to the present. She wrinkled her nose at him and he leaned against the cushion as she moved her feet from under him only to prop them up against his thigh._

_At the funeral, a few days later, she held his hand and calmed him down after Marcus let him know that their mother wanted to say a few words. She knew his mother had been eyeing them at the funeral, and then the wake, but he had taken a piece of strawberry pie and shut himself in his father’s study._

_She had helped with the packing of essentials and made sure the four adults and the toddler ate regular meals. And each night, she’d end up in his bed and he’d stare like she’d hung the moon and all the stars as she lay beside him, wrapped up in stolen covers like he remembered from the old days._

_She’d been there for a total of eight days and on day eight he looks like he wants to kiss her as she gets in her car to drive back to the airport but she doesn’t let him. Instead, he watches her career like his father would and tucks away all the magazine articles with a grin. And, when he visits his father’s gravestone, he reads the snippets between shots and he falls in love with Donna Roberta Paulsen all over again._

_\--_

Her phone goes to voicemail but she stands in front of him a few seconds later, calling his name to bring him back to the present.

“Hey,” she says as she slips into on of his visitor chairs and tilts her head.

“Where were you?” He asked as he continued to shake himself out of his revelry.

“I, um, I wasn’t feeling good,” she said. “So, I took the morning off and headed to the doctor just to make sure it wasn’t some trans-Atlantic superbug. Sorry, I completely forgot about your text.”

He breathes in and out a few times to continue to steady himself.

“You okay?” He asked.

She gives a low chuckle and leans back into her chair, ignoring him for a moment. She unlocks her phone and he watches as scrolls and taps and she concentrates really hard before turning back to him

“I will be?” She says half questioning herself.

He raises a brow.

“Like maybe in 29 weeks,” she says with a tiny grin playing on her lips and she watches as he connects the dots.

His eyes go wide and his mouth drops a little.

She hands him her phone and it’s a copy of a black and white blob. He has no idea what to look for and when he silently asks for help as he looks to her, she shrugs her shoulders.

“I was in the middle of puking and just asked them to print out whatever I needed to show my baby daddy some proof,” Donna said as she shrugged. “I figured aiming for the trashcan was a better solution than puking all over and making an enemy out of people we're going to have to visit a lot over the coming year.”

He shakes his head and laughs as he gives her back the phone.

There’s a tap at his office door and his assistant pokes her head in.

“Sorry to interrupt, baby daddy, but you got a call from McKernon motors on the line,” Gretchen says as she leans into the office.

Donna laughs and stands up. Of course Gretchen was listening to the intercom, not that either of them truly minded.

“Congratulations, mama,” Gretchen nods to the younger woman.

Donna dips her chin and thanks the woman.

Donna makes her way around his desk so she’s standing between him and the phone.

“Harvey, I am sorry I worried you, especially today,” she notes, well aware of today’s date.

Harvey nods.

“You want to late lunch together?” He asks.

“Sure,” she nods.

“I’ll come find you,” he notes.

“No fish, no processed meats, no soft cheese, no good food!” she called out as moved to the door. “I also apparently may or may not puke just smelling things so that’s going to be fun for both of us.”

He blew out a breath and sighed. Well, lunch options just got more limited.

He’d hurry the call and then maybe do some research of what she could actually eat.

* * *

When he rides the train to Boston this year, he's not alone.

He tells the gravestone that he's kind of got his shit together and she laughs as she stands next to him. He mentions he’s brought Donna and their little plum because he logs on each week and his adventure in prepping for a baby seems to be going all over the City to find what fruit or vegetable their baby is the size of and gets his arm slapped when she feels him balance said fruit or vegetable on her belly that’s not quite popped until this week, really. Its not super noticeable, it looks more like a food baby than the human variety so they're going to stick it out at work until she's further along.

Afterwards, he pours the traditional shot glass of Macallan 18 for him and his father. He toasts to him and then he looks over at her and salutes her with his full shot and she takes a sip of her water bottle from her bag to hide the smile on her face.

“Since I always regale you with Donna updates, I found one you’d enjoy,” he says to no one in particular but looks at her with a gleam in his eye. He unfurls the magazine he’s had in his jacket pocket and reads the speculative article that the former COO of Lazard is cozying up to a corporate lawyer whose net worth is only a third of her own.

“Its one of your favorite,” she points out as he reads it aloud.

There’s a few pictures from one of those telescope lens cameras no doubt, entering and exiting her place as well as his. And she’s kissing him on the cheek in one of them. He brought her a breakfast bar and a ginger tea from the coffee cart a few blocks away from work after she had a less than pleasant experience with her breakfast earlier.

She shakes her head as he reads it dramatically and she wonders where the dramatics were in their Shakespeare class long ago.

\--  
As they walk back down the path and back to the car, he holds her hand in his own.

“I was thinking,” he started

“I hope it didn’t hurt,” she said quickly.

“Ouch,” he turned his head to look at her and shook his head.

“Anyway,” he started again. “I think we should take a vacation.”

“We’re kind of doing that now,” she points out.

“No, like a real one,” he says. Because he always takes this day off and since it fell on a Thursday, he’d also taken Friday off.

She wrinkled her brow, thinking.

“Like before the little plum comes,” he says. “We can go on the trip we had always wanted to go on. I mean, it will have to be without the Prosecco tour. But there’s always next time.”

She grins and leans in to press her lips against his cheek while they continue to head to the car.

“I like it when you think,” she laughs. “I think you should do it more often.”

He shakes his head and when they make it to the car, he opens her door.

Before she steps in, she leans in and kisses him on the mouth and he cups her cheek, as he draws her in.

“I love you, Harvey,” she whispers and she opens her eyes slowly and he’s still sort of dazed.

He gets that squishy face look when he’s ridiculously proud of himself, like he is now, and she giggles and shakes her head.

“Love you, too, Donna,” he tells her.

She leans back and gets into the car.

They’re now off to tell the rest of his family the good news.

\--

They visit Marcus later that day and Harvey imagines Marcus's reaction is the same one his dad would have if he had still been alive. His little brother cries, tears of joy, at the two of them holding hands as they enter the restaurant and even Donna is a little scared as Marcus holds her tight and kisses her cheek like some sort of Italian grandmother stereotype.

He puts them in the private dining room even though they're technically opening in twenty minutes. Marcus says he’s doing this so they're all alone and since this is the first time they’ve ever been here; they’re getting a sampler of everything on the menu for dinner rather than having to choose just the one.

Donna went sheepish for a moment.

“Marcus,” she said as she stopped him from starting to describe the menu in detail. “Umm, beef is a thing I’m not enjoying right now. Well, being in the presence of, really. And, umm…”

Marcus looked between the two and she wound up with another hug and when he rocked back and forth in the awkward position, she threatened to puke on him and he paused.

“Since you and Katie have two, you can now guess the other things you can bring double for him,” Donna says as she’s put back in her seat very slowly by Harvey’s brother almost like she’s a porcelain doll.

“No way, you just get additional items that Katie used to really like with our kids,” Marcus winked at her and Harvey pouted a little.

He asked about drinks, put in their order, and left them alone— for the most part.

Harvey gets a flight of whiskeys and Donna sticks with the San Pellegrino while looking at the flight longingly.

“If you’re nice, I’ll kiss you after each one,” Harvey told her as he swirled the amber liquid.

“Pfft,” Donna huffs. “28 weeks… and change with the whole…”

She gestured to her chest.

"Let's just say I'll enjoy that a year from now unless you knock me up again," she points out.

Harvey shakes his head.

Marcus comes in a few times with a beaming grin on his face and Harvey shook his head with a laugh each time he did. Of course they were enjoying themselves. Of course the food was delicious.

Donna makes a note to get a full order of the butternut squash gnocchi next time and Harvey's in love with the wild mushroom paella.

At the end of their meal, Marcus lets them know that they’re staying with him—he’s already let Katie know and their two daughters are excited for Uncle Harvey to come play—and Harvey relents.

\--

When it's just Harvey and Marcus in the living room watching Sports Center, Marcus toasts to his brother and Harvey's ears burn a slight pink.

“You know he’d be proud,” Marcus says seriously.

“Out of the three of us, she’s got her shit together more than us,” Harvey sighs.

“Well, she was always the favorite,” Marcus let him know. “I mean, I thought Dad was going to choose her over you when you two broke up.”

“He did,” Harvey noted. “Because she only broke up with me because she didn’t want to hold me back while she was in Philly and I was in Cambridge. So, he told me I needed to get my shit together and become a man she'd be proud of.”

“Shit,” Marcus said quietly.

Harvey took a long swig of his beer and started to peel the edges of the label.

“He’d be really proud of her,” Harvey whispers a few minutes later.

“That’s for damn sure,” Marcus laughs and pats his brother’s leg. “See you two in the morning.”

\--

After his brother abandons him, he cleans up a little before turning off the television and heading to the guest bedroom that sits on the first floor of the house.

After undressing down to his boxer briefs, he sneaks under the covers and his fingers slip under her tank top to rest on her tiny bump.

“Hmm,” she sniffs as she moves away from his touch. “Your little plum is going to make me puke on you if he or she has to keep smelling that beer.”

Harvey gets the message and goes to brush his teeth and comes back a few minutes later with minty breath.

“Better?” He questions rhetorically as he hovers over her with his lips close to her own.

“Mmh,” she says sleepily.

He kisses her softly on the mouth and leans back into the pillows and waits for her to migrate over as she does every night.

"Are you happy, Donna?" He whispers against her temple.

"Yeah, I'm happy," Donna says as she opens her eyes and tilts her head up to look at him. "I mean, we have shit to figure out like where we're going to live and if you also want another kid but we can figure out the rest another day."

"Are you happy, Harvey?" She asks quietly.

"More than happy," he says honestly.

"Good," she says quietly. "I'm exhausted. So, please save your freak out about being a little overwhelmed by what I just said for morning." 

He chuckles and his fingers find their way under her shirt again and he traces patterns on her belly until he falls asleep.

* * *

fin.

 


End file.
